Winter Rose
by Hoshi-Naito
Summary: Stupid hyperactive crazy bluenette, what could she possibly want at 6:30AM? May is not happy to have her sleep interrupted. And what's all this about a contest on Christmas Eve? Couldn't this have waited just a few more hours, Dawn? CS, PS, PeS, FS
1. Chapter 1

_**So... I should totally be working on Secrets and Surprises right now, but I was trying to come up with an appeal for May and Drew, and then this whole back story came to mind, and it was Christmas themed, and since Christmas is rapidly approaching, I decided to write it. (For those of you who don't know, Secrets and Surprises is a Yu-Gi-Oh GX story I'm writing that involves a few crossover characters. And for those of you who are like, "Why is she writing this instead of the next chapter! She hasn't updated in forever!" I sincerely apologize. My schedule has been off the charts crazy lately, and I haven't had any time to write. I started, and got a few pages typed up when my laptop picked up a virus. I thankfully managed to transfer my files to flash drive, but I haven't had a whole lot of time to work on it, due to being in a play in which I had over 300 lines and practice four days a week, and then having to throw together a presentation for Spanish class.) Anywhoo, on with the story!**_

"_I don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree. I just you for my own, more than you could ever know. Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas is you!"_

The brunette briefly considered throwing her phone at the wall, but decided it wasn't worth the grounding she would receive from her mother.

_'Stupid__hyperactive__boy-crazy__bluenette.__What__could__she__possibly__want__at...__6:30__in__the__freaking__morning!'_ May thought, groaning as she picked up the infernal machine, silencing the overly loud ring tone.

_'And when did I make Big Time Rush my ring tone? Ugh. It must have been Dawn. Oh well, I guess it's not really that bad.'_

"Whataya want," she whined, finally answering the phone. The brunette yawned, rubbing her eyes groggily.

"Oh my gosh, May! Guess what? There's going to be a Christmas Eve contest in Snowpoint City! It's a tag team contest, and you'll never guess who asked me to be his partner!"

"...Zoey?"

"HIS partner, May! HIS!"

"Well I'm terribly sorry Dawn, but normal people are still sleeping at 6:30 in the morning, not listening to their hyperactive friend go on a rant about some contest at hyper speed. You're lucky I caught anything at all."

"Oh come on, May! It's not that hard!"

May sighed. "I don't know, Kenny?"

"YES!" Dawn shrieked, bursting into giggles.

May had to smile a bit at that, Dawn had a huge crush on Kenny, so a tag team contest might be just the thing they needed to convince them to get together. "That's great, Dawn."

"I know! Isn't it?" Dawn sighed. "Anywhoo, you should enter too!"

May sighed. "Dawn, you know I was planning on going back home for Christmas. Sinnoh is great and all, but I miss Hoenn, and I miss my family. I promised them that I would take a break from my journey and come home for the holidays."

May had been traveling around the Sinnoh region competing in contests. After visiting for the Wallace Cup, May had decided that it was her next destination. After winning the Johto Grand Festival, May decided that a change in scenery was required. She talked to Drew, Harley, and Solidad about it, and they all agreed that Sinnoh was going to be the next stop in their journey. Since then, she had been bumping into them from time to time at contests.

"Oh! Don't worry about that! I called your mom last night! Your family is coming here to watch you compete!" Dawn chimed.

"What? What do you mean you called my mom last night? Dawn, how did you convince her? And what about the gym? My dad can't just leave! And Max just started his journey this year! How will he feel about skipping off to Sinnoh for a while?" May demanded, her words flying out of her mouth with increasing speed.

"Relax, May! No need to worry! I've got everything worked out! Because it's Christmas, the gym would be closed anyway, so it won't make any difference whether or not your dad is there. I called Max too, he says that he was planning on coming home anyway, and it really wouldn't hurt if he went to Sinnoh instead. Plus, your mom was thrilled with the idea of a Christmas themed contest! She's super excited to come see you preform! And your dad has never actually been to one of your contests, so he says he can't wait to see the action up close!"

"That's all well and good, Dawn, but there's just one little problem."

"What?" asked Dawn, truly baffled as to where there could be a hole in her genius plan.

"Oh, I don't know... I DON'T HAVE A PARTNER!" May screeched.

"Oh, that! No need to worry! You could just ask Drew! I mean, you like him, don't you?"

"DAWN!"

May was about ten seconds away from running all the way to Twinleaf Town to smack the bluenette upside the head. Did that airhead really think that she could just waltz up to her longtime rival and ask him to be her partner in a tag team contest? Drew would probably laugh at her! And it wasn't as if he didn't laugh at her enough already.

"What?"

"Ugh! Would you have just walked up to Kenny and asked him?"

"Well... no, but that's different."

"How?"

"Well... it's because... uh. Oh, it's doesn't matter, because he asked me first!"

"Exactly! HE asked YOU!"

"But, May, you have to come! I even convinced Ash to compete, just for kicks and giggles! Though, he doesn't have a partner yet either, so I guess you could always just be his partner..."

"I guess so... Oh! But wouldn't it be great if we could talk him into asking Misty to be his partner? He so has a crush on her, and she totally likes him back! This could be the perfect opportunity for them to confess and get together!"

"May, you're a genius! The only problem would be convincing our oh so tomboy-ish gym leader of a friend to join one of our 'beauty pageants'."

May giggled. It was true. Misty and Dawn had argued over and over again about whether gym battles or contests were better, and neither was willing to budge. Dawn insisted that contests were better because they emphasize both the inner and outer beauty of pokémon, while proving that just because a pokémon wasn't big and ridiculously strong didn't mean that it isn't just as important. Misty on the other hand, insisted that gym battles were about strength, courage, and strategy, while contests were shallow, and made it seem like pokémon who weren't "cute" seem like they were of less value.

May, of course, thought they were both being ridiculous. Growing up in a gym, she knew first hand that trainers didn't just use "big, strong" pokémon in gym battles. And being a coordinator, she knew that contests were more than just beauty pageants. Her pokémon trained hard and battled hard.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry. If Ash asks her, she'll say yes. I think I'll tell Harley and Solidad about it too, if you don't mind. I'm sure they'd want to enter. I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and ask Drew to be my partner," May muttered the last part.

"That's fine! The more the merrier! And you can totally do this, May! There's no way he'll say no! Trust me on this," Dawn reassured her friend.

"If you say so. Talk to you later, Dawn. Don't forget to call Ash!"

"Seriously, May! No need to worry! I've got everything under control! Good luck!"

And with that, the bubbly bluenette hung up.

_'Good. Now that that's over, I can go back to sleep.'_

And the brunette curled back up on her bed, warm and cozy under the covers. It didn't take long before she fell back asleep.

When May awoke the second time, it was already noon. Her stomach growled in protest at not having any food. She quickly took a shower, changing into her Sinnoh travel outfit.

Her new outfit consisted of a pair of black biking shorts and a black camisole worn underneath a red miniskirt and a red, sleeveless zip-up with a black collar that cut off under the rib cage. Her gloves had been replaced with black, fingerless ones, and her bandana was now black with a red pokéball symbol.

She grabbed her charm bracelet that held her pokéballs, slipping it on her left wrist. It had been a gift from Dawn, who had made it herself. On the other wrist, she placed the bracelet made of the aqua colored stones that served as People of the Water's mark. She smiled wistfully, missing Manaphy, but remembering that he was happy in the Sea Temple.

After checking herself in the mirror, May left her room, running straight for the center's cafeteria. But as she rounded the corner, she bumped into something. Something that fell back a bit before wrapping it's arms around her to steady them.

_'Make__that__someone,'_ she thought, looking up to see none other than Drew Hayden smirking at her.

"Well May, I know you're happy to see me, but you didn't have to jump into my arms right off the bat. You could've at least given me some kind of warning."

"Oh, hush, you! I was headed for the cafeteria!" she corrected, but Drew's smirk deepened.

"But of course, I should've known that you would be more excited about food than about seeing me. Though I can't help but notice that you've made no move to extract yourself from my arms, so you must at least be a little happy to see me."

May blushed, shoving the taller boy back.

And yes, you read right. It said "taller."

You see, at some point during their journey through Johto, May and Drew had both hit that wonderful stage of life known as puberty. Oh joy. But the point is, it had been quite kind to Drew, who now stood a foot taller than May, who was still growing, but not much. His voice had cracked as well, leaving deeper and smoother, rather than high and nasally as it was when they met. (Oh the stories Harley could, and did, tell about that stage of Drew's life. Really, Drew should've known better than to go to him for advice. He must have been desperate. Now don't get her wrong, she and Harley were actually good friends now. You see, Harley had traveled with Solidad in Johto, and the pinkette had straightened him out. He was still flamboyant and mischievous, but he had quit cheating and lying, and he and May had settled their differences. But all of this didn't change the fact that he loved to poke fun at Drew and May, and gossiping was still one of his favorite pastimes.)

"Shut up! Ugh! I don't know what I was thinking when I told Dawn I would ask you! Now, if you'll excuse me, I haven't eaten yet!" she growled, storming past him.

But she soon found herself unable to walk any farther. Drew had grabbed her arm. And spun her around to face him.

"Ask me what?" he questioned, eyebrow quirked.

"Never mind that! This little encounter just proved that it would never work!" May snapped, scowling and trying to yank her arm back.

"What wouldn't work?" The mint haired boy was sounding more impatient, and his eyes were both narrowed.

May sighed in surrender. "There's a tag team contest on Christmas Eve in Snowpoint City. Dawn has my whole family coming up to see me compete, but I need a partner to enter, so..."

Drew's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, you mean you were going to ask _me_ to be your partner?" He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, as if checking for a fever. "Are you feeling alright, Maple? You can't stand me! Why would you ask me to be your partner?"

May might have been angry with him, had she not detected the slight sadness in his voice. "Drew, you know that's not true. It's your constant teasing that I can't stand. You're a really nice guy... when you're not trying to be a jerk," she teased, poking him in the chest.

Drew smiled a bit at her words, and the two stood there staring at each other.

And that was when the cute moment was interrupted by a very loud growling.

Drew could barely contain his laughter.

"Oh, stuff it! I haven't had anything to eat all day! My tummy is empty," May whined, rubbing her belly and sulking.

Drew just chuckled and offered her his hand. "Come on, the cafeteria food here sucks. There's a nice little café just down the street. My treat. We can use the time to discuss which pokémon we're going to use.

May perked up a bit. "You mean, you'll do it?"

Drew rolled his eyes and smirked. "No, I'm trying to see what pokémon you're using so that my imaginary friend and I can enter and beat you. Yes, May, I'll be your partner."

May scowled. "And you're right back to making fun of me again! Why do you have to be so mean all the time?"

Drew just chuckled, whipping out a red rose and giving it to her before leaning in so that his mouth was next to her ear. "Because you're cute when you're mad," he whispered.

And with that, a very smug Drew led a very shocked, red-faced May into the café.

Over the next two weeks, Drew and May spent the majority of their time training together, working on their appeal and their combinations.

May called Harley and Solidad, both of whom sounded more than happy to compete, and instantly teamed up and started preparing.

Ash had called a few days into the first week, informing May that he had convinced Misty to be his partner, but it had taking a great deal of convincing on his part. May simply stated that she hadn't expected any different.

May and Drew arrived in Snowpoint City with three days left until Christmas Eve. They registered themselves for the contest, and met up with Dawn and Kenny, who had arrived the day before.

"So, I wonder what these new friends of Ash's are like. I mean, we know nothing about them other than their names," Dawn thought aloud.

"I don't know, Dawn. But I'm sure they're nice. I mean, Ash wouldn't be traveling through Unova with them if they weren't. I'm just a bit worried about Iris. You don't think Ash likes her, do you?" asked May.

"So what if he does? Don't tell me you like Ash, May," Drew demanded, scowling at the brunette girl.

May looked confused. "Of course not, what would give you that idea?" she asked.

Drew relaxed a bit. "Well you seemed awfully worried about the possibility of him liking another girl."

May's eyes widened in shock, before she burst out laughing. "Oh, Drew! I don't like Ash! He's like a brother to me! It's Misty that likes him! I just don't want her to get hurt if he shows up and tells us that this Iris girl is his girlfriend."

Drew turned his head away to hide the blush that was forming on his cheeks. "Well how was I supposed to know that? I've never met Misty, remember?" he quipped.

May just gave him a big grin. "I remember."

"I wouldn't worry about it, May. I mean, Ash never showed any interest in either of us. Why would he suddenly stop liking Misty and decide he was crushing on this other girl? Though I do wonder why she and this Cilan guy decided to tag along," Dawn added.

"Maybe they wanted to see what all the fuss was about," Kenny suggested. "I hear they don't have contests in Unova. They probably wanted to know what could be so great that Ash would fly all the way from there to Sinnoh."

"No contests? That's terrible! I'm glad I don't live there!" shouted Dawn, who looked quite distressed at the thought of growing up in a region without contests.

"I'm with you, sweetie, that sounds awful!" a voice agreed.

The gang turned their heads to see two familiar people.

"Harley! Solidad! You're here!" May shouted excitedly, rushing forward to hug her friends.

Drew simply nodded at the two of them.

"Dawn, Kenny, I'd like you to meet Harley and Solidad."

"It's nice to meet you both! May's told me all about you!" Dawn greeted shaking their hands.

"Nice to meet you too, Sweetie!" chimed Harley.

"May's told us about you as well, Dawn. It's nice to finally meet you," Solidad greeted.

Kenny shook both of their hands, nodding politely.

The teens spent the next two days chatting and practicing, anticipation flooding through their veins. Misty had arrived, but Ash and company had yet to arrive, and May's family wasn't there yet either. The Pokémon Center was packed. It seemed that people had come from all over to participate. Tag team contests weren't very common, so when one came around, it was sure to be packed. This contest was technically not official, but it was being televised, and the winners got a prize, though they weren't sure what. It might as well have been official though, since they got Marian herself to MC and all of the judges were going to be there. And with all these people, there was sure to be some stiff competition.

Misty was beginning to get nervous. Registration finished in just a few short hours, and Ash was still not there.

"Calm down, Misty, I'm sure he'll be here on time. Ash has never let us down before, and he won't this time either," May reassured.

"Yeah! No need to worry! He'll get here!" Dawn added.

"MISTY!" a familiar voice shouted from behind them. They whipped around to see Ash barreling toward them at full speed, two people chasing after him, panting and shouting at him to slow down. How Ash managed to dodge through the crowd at the speed he was going was a mystery to May.

Misty quickly handed Azuril to May, who wondered why, but soon got her answer. Ash came to an abrupt halt in front of them, before lunging forward to crush Misty in a hug. "Man, I missed you! It's been way too long, Mist!" he greeted.

Misty returned the hug, smiling. "It has been too long Ash. How have you been?"

"Great! The Unova region is full of pokémon that I've never seen before! I've been having a blast! How have things been at the gym?" he asked.

"You're a gym leader?" asked a voice from behind Ash.

"Oh! Right! I forgot to introduce you guys!" Ash slapped his forehead. "Guys, this is Cilan," he gestured to the boy, "And this is Iris."

Iris and Cilan nodded and smiled at the group.

"And this is Misty, May, Dawn, Solidad, Drew, Harley, and Kenny," Ash finished his introductions.

"So Ash, Misty, have you guys thought about your appeal yet?" asked Dawn.

"Oh no! I completely forgot! Come on, Misty, we have to go practice!" Ash shouted, grabbing Misty's hand, and leading her towards the door.

"Wait, Ash! We have to register first!" Misty shouted, causing Ash to stop dead in his tracks.

"Oh. Right." Ash muttered, smiling sheepishly, and rubbing the back of his neck. With that, he grabbed he hand again, this time heading for the front desk.

The others just chuckled and shook their heads.

The others then took the time to get to know each other better. They found out that Iris wanted to be a dragon master, and that Cilan was a gym leader and a Pokémon Connoisseur. May, Dawn, Iris, and Cilan swapped stories about what it was like traveling with Ash, laughter flooding the room.

"May!"

May turned to see none other than her little brother running toward her, her parents close behind.

"Max!" she replied, jumping up to hug him and her parents.

"Guys, this is my little brother, Max, and these are my parents, Caroline and Norman. My dad is the gym leader of Petalburg City," May explained before introducing each of her friends, mostly for her father's benefit, since her brother and mother had already met some of them.

"By the way, May, we have a little surprise for you," Caroline informed.

May looked at her parents questioningly.

The two stepped apart to reveal a teenage boy standing behind them.

May's eyes shot open wide, and a grin overtook her face. "Brendan!" she shouted, launching herself at him.

Brendan laughed, hugging her.

Drew glared at the other boy, gritting his teeth. Harley shot him a knowing look, while Solidad placed her hand on his shoulder to keep him from doing something stupid.

"Guys, this is Brendan Birch! He and I were best friends as kids, but I haven't seen him since he left for his journey shortly before I did," May introduced.

"So May," Brendan started, "I heard you've become quite the coordinator."

"You betcha!" May chimed, "I won the Johto Grand Festival last year!"

"Wow! That's great May!" Brendan cheered. "So, if this is a tag team contest, who's the other half of your team?" he asked.

"That would be me," Drew cut in, keeping his voice as smooth as possible, though he couldn't quite keep the bitterness out. Drew stood up, stepping forward. He smirked upon realizing that he was a good three inches taller than Brendan, and had to look down to meet his eyes.

Brendan looked confused by the hostility, but stuck out his hand none the less. Drew grabbed it with a grip that was a bit stronger than necessary, shaking it.

"Name's Drew Hayden," he informed. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, this room is a bit too crowded for my tastes, I'm going to go out for a little fresh air."

With that, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and stalked toward the door, people giving him a wide breadth.

"I wonder what's wrong with Drew," May muttered. "He was just fine a moment ago."

Drew wrapped his arms around himself, cursing himself for not having the common sense to grab a coat. It was called Snowpoint City for a reason. He supposed that the cold would probably do his hot head some good, though.

_'Childhood__friends,__huh?__Right.__That's__why__they__never__let__go__of__each__other.__I'm__so__stupid.__I__should've__known__she__already__liked__someone__else,'_he thought, eyes downcast as he kicked a stone that had been sitting on the ground in front of him.

"Mr. Drew! Mr. Drew!"

Drew looked up to see a familiar red-head running toward him.

"Brianna? What are you doing here?" he asked.

Brianna paused to catch her breath. "Well, you see, Mr. Drew, I had been planning to enter the contest, but my partner just called last night, and she came down with the flu. I don't suppose... I mean, do _you_have a partner, Mr. Drew?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

Drew brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Sorry, Brianna, but I do already have a partner."

The hopeful look on the girl's face dropped, replaced by a sad one. "Oh, of course. I should've known that you would. I mean, who waits this long to pick a partner?" she mumbled.

"You could always try looking around the lobby. Maybe there's someone else in the same situation as you," he suggested, trying to cheer her up. Drew felt bad for the girl. It was obvious that she had a large crush on him, but he didn't return the sentiments. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but at some point or another, he knew he was going to have to if she didn't get over him on her own.

"That's true. I think I'll go try that," she forced a smile, trying to show that she was appreciative of his attempts.

"I'll, uh, see you later," Drew muttered before nodding and continuing on his walk.

_'Now__what?'_ Drew thought, sighing. _'I__suppose__there's__still__the__contest.__Maybe__I'm__wrong,__and__she__really__was__just__excited__to__see__Brendan__because__she__missed__her__friend.__It__doesn't__seem__likely,__but...__if__there's__even__the__slightest__chance,__I__should__take__it.__I'll__tell__May__how__I__feel__when__this__is__all__over,__but__first,__to__win__that__contest.__If__we__won,__then__I__could__confess__at__the__after__party.__So__that's__the__plan,__then.__But__for__it__to__work__the__way__I__want__it__to,__we__have__to__win.__So__I__guess__we'll__just__have__to__bring__our__A-game__tomorrow.'_

Drew made up his mind, and decided to head back. After all, it most certainly wasn't getting any warmer out.

"I'm getting worried about Drew. He seemed off when he went out, and he didn't bring a coat with him, either," May muttered after checking the doors for the umpteenth time without any luck.

Caroline smiled knowingly at her daughter. "I'm sure he's fine, May. He probably just needed a little air. Drew always seemed like a bit of a lone wolf to me. He was probably just feeling overwhelmed by all of the people."

May's eyes widened. "Oh no! You don't think he's mad at me for sticking him with all of my friends, do you?" she asked, looking to her mother for reassurance.

"Of course not, dear. I'm sure he just wanted some fresh air," Caroline replied.

Caroline had seen the dirty looks Drew had given Brendan when he and May had hugged. They hadn't surprised her, to be honest. The woman had known that boy had feelings for her daughter since she had seen him toss that rose at him the first time. _'A__thornless__red__rose.__Love__at__first__sight.__If__only__May__weren't__so__oblivious,'_she thought.

Norman had also seen those looks, as well as the mint haired boy's stance. Everything about it screamed, "She's mine. Back off." He had heard from his wife that his daughter's rival had a bit of a crush on her, but that seemed like a lot more than a little crush. Norman was concerned that his daughter was spending so much time with e boy who seemed very possessive of her. The last thing he wanted was for his little girl to end up in an abusive relationship. Personally, he though that Brendan was a much better match for May. The boy was polite, nice, and a very good trainer. She seemed happy enough to see him. Maybe all they needed was a little push.

"So, Brendan, your father tells me you've been traveling around Sinnoh. So has May. Maybe you two could travel together," suggested Norman.

"_Dad_!" May whisper-yelled.

"That sounds great, Mr. Maple!" Brendan cut in, smiling widely.

"I think it's a horrid idea," Harley mumbled under his breath. Unfortunately for him, though, everyone heard him.

"I beg your pardon," started Norman.

Harley gave him a fake sheepish smile. "It's just that May has this nasty habit of copying the style of whoever she travels with. I mean, her first two years as a coordinator were spent borrowing Ash's training style. Not that there's anything wrong with his style. He's a nice guy, and he's great at gym battles, but that's just it, you see. His style is great for gym battles, not contests. While May was in Johto, she became much more independent, and she found her own style. Sticking her with another gym battler will just throw her off her game. May has such potential, and I'd hate to see it thrown away because her father wanted her to spend some quality time with a family friend. I'm sure you understand, Mr. Maple, I'm just looking out for my friend."

Norman scowled at the purple haired teen.

"If you'll excuse me, dears, I have to go powder my nose," Harley announced, swinging his hips as he walked away.

"Well," Brendan started, "If it'll really throw May off of her game to travel with me, then... I guess it really is a bad idea. That's a shame though, I'd really like to get to hang out with you." Brendan shot May a disappointed look.

"Sorry, Brendan, but I think Harley might be right. I've just learned how to take care of myself. I don't want to let myself become dependent on my friends again," she answered, shooting him an apologetic look.

"It's alright, May. I understand."

But that didn't make May feel any less guilty about how sad he looked.

"May!" a voice called from behind them.

Said brunette turned to see Brianna coming her way.

"Brianna? What's up? I haven't seen you in a while."

"May, do you have a partner for the contest yet? Mine got sick, and I just asked Mr. Drew, but he says he already has one!" the shorter girl said, sounding quite distressed. "I was really hoping that he didn't. I thought that maybe if he and I won together, I'd finally get the courage to tell him that I liked him."

"Oh, um, I'm really sorry to hear that, but I'm afraid I can't help you. You see, I'm actually Drew's partner," May muttered.

"You?" the girl asked. She huffed. "May! I thought you said you didn't like Mr. Drew! And yet, you're his partner for the contest! Are you guys dating now?"

"N-no! We're not dating!" May shouted, red in the face. "And if you really want to get technical, then I didn't say I didn't like him, I said that I hadn't really thought about it that much!"

Brendan frowned. _'Does__she__really__like__this__Drew__guy?__What__does__he__have__that__I__don't?__I've__known__May__for__longer!__Does__she__just__like__him__because__he's__a__coordinator?__"_

"Tell me the truth, May! Do you like Mr. Drew or not?" Brianna demanded.

"I-I uh-!" May stuttered.

"Pardon me, hon, but I really don't see how that's any of your business," Harley cut in, returning from the bathroom.

"Who are you?" asked Brianna.

"I'm a friend of May's, and I'm wondering where you think you have the right to interrogate her on her personal feelings right in front of her family and friends. If I were you, sweetie, I'd drop the subject," Harley answered, giving the girl an intimidating smirk.

"Yeah!" Dawn agreed. "Who do you think you are? Who May likes is May's business, not yours, so leave her alone!"

Brianna looked between the two, starting to get nervous. "W-well, never mind then. I'll see you later, May."

And with that, the girl scampered off, clearly scared of May's friends.

"I think you and I are going to get along just fine, Snickerdoodle," Harley told Dawn.

"Uh oh, Dawn, he nicknamed you after a cookie. You'll never get rid of him now," May teased.

"Oh please," Harley started, nose in the air, "Who would want to get rid of me, Sugar?"

May just giggled, and Dawn smiled, happy to learn that she had made a new friend.

"So who else has one of these infamous cookie nicknames?" asked the bluenette.

May smiled. "Just Solidad and I. She's Gingersnap and I'm Sugar Cookie, or Sugar for short."

Harley huffed. "I've been trying to call Drewsy 'Grasshopper' for a while now, but he always hits me!"

May and Dawn giggled at Harley's antics, while Solidad just smiled and shook her head.

Brendan got up and started to walk away.

"Something wrong, Brendan?" asked Norman.

"No, sir. There's just something I want to do," he explained.

"Well, alright then," Norman answered, allowing the boy to leave.

Drew returned shortly after, having a brief, whispered conversation with Harley before sitting down.

"So, Andrew, what made you decide to partner up with my daughter for this contest?" asked Norman, "After all, I thought you two were rivals."

Drew quirked an eyebrow at the use of his full name, but gave a small smirk. Harley hadn't really gone to the restroom, you see. He had been texting Drew, alerting him that Brendan liked May, and that Norman wanted her to get together with Brendan. He knew that Norman was trying to prove that Drew was a bad match for May.

"Well you see, May is sort of the ideal partner for me. I mean, we're very familiar with each others' styles, so it wouldn't be hard to combine them. Plus, as her rival, I know that she's a good coordinator. After all, she's beaten me as often as I've beaten her, showing that we're on the same level. And I clearly made a good choice, because it was almost absurdly easy for us to get in synch when we started working on appeals and combinations," Drew responded, still smirking.

"Wait! You think I'm as good as you? But you're always saying how lousy I am!" May shouted.

Drew, Harley, and Solidad all chuckled.

"That's because if I started complimenting you, you'd get cocky, and then you'd get lazy. And then where would my competition be?" answered Drew.

"You mean that all of the times you insulted me were just to get me fired up, so that I'd train hard and get better?" May questioned.

Drew smirked. "That, and the reason I gave you the other day."

May blushed in remembrance, causing Norman to frown.

"And what, might I ask, was that reason?" Norman demanded.

Drew chuckled. "Just that she's really cute when she's mad."

Dawn's face looked like it was about to crack from the enormous smile that overtook her face. She was unbelievably happy for May. It was obvious that Drew liked her back, and she just hadn't noticed it yet.

Caroline was happy for her daughter. She knew that Drew was obviously close to telling May how he felt. May was in good hands.

Norman, however, did not share his wife's sentiments. He did not like the fact that Drew was flirting with his little girl in front of him. Drew seemed like far too much of a wild card to be trusted with his daughter. Why couldn't she like Brendan? Brendan was much safer. Norman had known the boy since he was a child.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Did you guys pick out your outfits yet?" Dawn interrupted, seeing that Norman was obviously unhappy, and not wanting him to say anything that could ruin May and Drew's chances of being together.

"Yup!" May chimed, smiling. "Drew and I picked out ours right after we figured out our appeal! Wait 'til you see them! What about you guys?"

"Kenny and I picked out ours first thing! They're great!" Dawn replied.

"Solidad and I got ours yesterday," chimed Harley.

"What about Ash and Misty," Solidad asked.

"No need to worry! Misty bought her dress in Kanto and sent Ash a picture, so that he could get something to match," Dawn chimed.

"Outfits?" Iris questioned.

Dawn grinned. "In Sinnoh, it's tradition to dress up for contests. And since this is a Christmas contest, I'm sure everyone will be wearing Christmas themed outfits."

Iris sighed. "These contests seem like they focus way too much on looks. I mean, I though pokémon battles were supposed to be about battling, not looking pretty."

"Bite your tongue!" Dawn shouted, pointing at Iris.

"I don't know, Iris. I think it's just that different people like different things. I've been studying the people walking through here with their pokémon, and a lot of them seem to have really strong bonds, so they're obviously happy with what they do. Maybe some pokémon just like all the attention that they get. I mean, they're a lot like people in that way. Each pokémon has it's own personality, and it's own likes and dislikes," Cilan informed.

"Yeah! I mean, I at one point traded my Buizel for Ash's Aipom for just that reason! You see, Buizel never really liked contests, because it just wanted to battle, but Aipom loved the attention it got in the contests!" Dawn explained.

Iris still looked skeptical. "I still don't think I like them, but to each his own, I guess."

Before May knew it, it was time to go to bed. After all, she needed plenty of rest for the contest the next day.

The next morning, the hallway downstage of the contest hall was buzzing with coordinators, who were chatting with their partners and popping in and out of dressing rooms.

"Oh, wow, Misty! I love your dress! Yours too, Solidad!" Dawn gushed as she came out of her dressing room, seeing her friends.

Misty and Ash had gone for the snow theme. Misty's dress was floor length in the back, with an upside down V in the front, starting at her knees. It had spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline. It was a very pale blue color that was covered in glittery white snowflakes. Her hair was out of it's usual side pony and curled beautifully. Ash was wearing a white tux and bow tie, with a pale blue dress shirt.

Harley and Solidad had gone for candy canes and holly leaves. Solidad's dress was sleeveless, A-line, and floor length. The bust was dark green with a stripe of red at the base. The rest of the dress was white with red stripes wrapping around it. She had holly leaves pinned to the center of the bust, and a corsage of holly strapped around her wrist, with elbow length white gloves. Her hair was in an elegant bun. Harley was wearing a dark green suit with a white shirt that had red pin striping. He also wore a dark green top hat, with a red stripe and holly.

"Thanks, Dawn! You look really pretty too!" Misty replied.

Solidad nodded in agreement. "Thank you. You look lovely too."

"Thanks!" Dawn chimed, twirling around. Dawn and Kenny had gone for sunset on Christmas Day. Her dress was a blue violet ballgown. There was a sash around the waist made of gold, sky blue, pink, and coral fabrics. The bottom of the dress had little white snowflakes on it. Kenny wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt and gold bow tie and vest.

"Wow! You guys all look great!"

The group turned to see May and Drew approaching them.

"Oh, May! You look amazing!" gushed Dawn.

"That dress is perfect for you!" added Misty.

Solidad just smiled.

May's dress was red, and knee length. The bottom of the dress was made up of red and deep green shapes. They looked like the bracts of a poinsettia. The top was a sweetheart neckline with spaghetti straps. It was red with a thin gold band right beneath the bust. Her head lacked the usual bandanna, which had temporarily been replaced by a thin gold headband. On her feet were gold ballet slippers that laced up her calves. She also had on gold, elbow length glove-like accessories. Instead of covering her fingers, they narrowed into a V on the back of her hands, with one ring wrapping around her middle finger.

May blushed, smiling. "Thanks, you guys."

Drew, standing next to May, wore a black tux with a red shirt and deep green vest with gold lining. His tie was gold, and he had a poinsettia in his coat pocket.

"Oh, before I forget," Drew started, pulling a flower out of nowhere, and placing it in May's hair. It was a red poinsettia.

"What, no rose?" asked May, smiling.

Drew smirked. "Actually, the poinsettia is also called the winter rose."

May gave him a curious look. "Is that why you picked it as our theme?"

Drew gave her a small smile. "It might have been."

"Wow, May, you look beautiful."

The group turned to see the new arrival.

"Brendan?" May questioned, causing the boy to smile. "What are you doing down here? Only the contestants are allowed down here."

"I know," he answered.

"He's my partner."

The group turned to see Brianna standing a bit off, wearing a Mrs. Claus outfit. It was then that they noticed that Brendan wore a Santa suit.

"Huh? But, I don't understand. Brendan, I thought you said you only did gym battles. Why would you want to join a contest?" May asked.

Brendan's smile grew. "You see, May, the reason you won't travel with me is because I'm not a coordinator. So when Brianna and I win this contest, it will prove that there's no reason for you not too, because I can win contests too!"

May just gave him a pitiful look. "Brendan, it's not that."

Brendan just cut her off. "It's alright, May. I understand! I'll prove myself to you by winning this contest!"

Drew's jaw was clenched in a scowl. He looked as though he were about to punch Brendan, when all of the sudden, his eyes lit up, and he started sniggering.

"What's so funny?" asked Brendan, no longer smiling.

"It's nothing," Drew started, still trying to choke back his laughter. "Just- just that you're outfit made me think of a song from one of my favorite movies."

"And what song might that be?" the other boy snapped.

"_Kidnap__the__Sandy__Claws!__Beat__him__with__a__stick!__Lock__him__up__for__ninety__years!__See__what__makes__him__tick!__" _Drew sang.

Harley started cracking up at the first line, obviously recognizing the song. _"__Kidnap__the__Sandy__Claws!__Chop__him__into__bits!__Mr.__Oogie__Boogie__is__sure__to__get__his__kicks!__" _Harley continued.

"_Kidnap__the__Sandy__Claws!__See__what__we__will__see!__Lock__him__in__a__cage__and__then__throw__away__the__key!__" _they finished together, before laughing so hard that they were both crying.

"I never took you for a Tim Burton fan, Drew," Harley commented after finally catching his breath.

"You'd be surprised, Harley," Drew responded.

"How is a song about torturing Santa funny? That's messed up!" Brendan snapped.

Drew and Harley both just quirked an eyebrow at him.

"It's from the Nightmare Before Christmas," Drew commented.

"Which is a Tim Burton film. 'Nough Said," Harley finished.

"I still say it's messed up," Brendan finished, scowling.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, if I might please have your attention! It's time for the contest to begin!"_

The group turned to the television screen giving the live feed from the stage, where Marian was quieting the crowd.

It was time for the contest to begin. Misty was extremely nervous, since this was her first contest, but Brendan was too determined to feel any anxiousness.

The first appeal was a girl-boy pair with their Delibird and Stantler. The two were dressed up as Mary and Joseph. May thought that their appeal was good, but she was confident that her and Drew's appeal was better. After watching a few other pairs do their appeals, some of which were good, and others of which ended badly when something went wrong, Ash and Misty were called up to do their appeal. The others gave them a few words of encouragement, and they rushed up on stage.

"And now, please welcome, from all the way in Kanto, Ash Ketchum, and an extra special guest! It's my pleasure to introduce the gym leader from Cerulean City and youngest of the Sensational Sisters, Misty Waterflower!"

The crowd went nuts upon hearing that Misty was one of the contestants.

"Come on out, Azuril!" Misty yelled, tossing up the pokéball that contained her baby pokémon.

Azuril cried out it's name, leaving the audience gushing at it's cuteness.

"Let's go, Totodile!" Ash shouted, throwing up a lure ball.

The small crocodile pokémon smiled gleefully and danced.

"Alright, Totodile, use headbutt!" Ash cried.

Totodile run at Azuril head first.

"Slam, Azuril!" Misty called.

Azuril hit Totodile with the large ball on the end of it's tail, launching the other pokémon up in the air.

"And Totodile is launched into the air! What are these two planning?" Marian commented.

"Water gun!" both cried.

Totodile launched a water gun straight down at Azuril, who launched another one straight up at Totodile. This left Totodile momentarily suspended in the air. When the water gun was finished, Totodile front flipped and landed on it's feet. Totodile and Azuril both began to laugh and dance.

"What excellent acrobatics! And their dancing is simply adorable!" Marian added.

"Now use bubble, Azuril!" Misty cried.

"Slash, Totodile!" Ash yelled.

Azuril stared blowing bubbles at Totodile, who used slash to pop them, sending sparkles everywhere.

"Now use bite!" Ash called.

"Bubble once more!" Misty chimed.

Totodile opened it's mouth to bite Azuril, only for the bubbles to fly right into it's mouth. Totodile closed it's mouth, before getting a shocked look on it's face. Next thing the crowd knew, Totodile started hiccuping, bubbles coming back out of its mouth. Totodile, still stunned, looked at an equally surprised-looking Azuril. All of the sudden, both pokémon started laughing.

Ash and Misty gave a bow, signifying that their performance was finished.

"Fantastic! It was simple, but adorable! A great way to show off your pokémon without going too over the top! I can tell that you both aren't very experienced in appeals, but with a little practice, you could go far!" Mr. Contesta encouraged.

"I love how happy your pokémon are! It shows that you've taken great care of them! You did a great job of showing off their cuteness here!" Nurse Joy complimented.

"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo shouted.

Ash and Misty thanked the judges before leaving the stage.

The rest of the group congratulated them, telling them that they did a good job.

Next up were Brendan and Brianna. May and Dawn giggled as Drew and Harley burst into an encore of "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" after they had left.

"Come on out, Surskit!" called Brianna.

"You too, Swampert!" Brendan yelled. "Now use hydro cannon!"

Swampert soaked the stage.

"Ice beam, Surskit!"

Surskit froze the puddle, leaving a sheet of ice on the stage.

Swampert walked out to the center of the ice.

"Agility, Surskit!"

And with that, Surskit began to skate across the ice, looking both cute and graceful.

"Hydro cannon, once more! And spin!"

Swampert launched a hydro cannon straight up into the air, giving it a fountain effect. It then began spinning around in circles. Surskit began to circle Swampert.

"Bubble beam, then ice beam!" Brianna shouted.

Surskit fired a bubble beam at the hydro cannon, then used ice beam to freeze the bubbles. The bubbles got caught up in the rapidly spinning hydro cannon, spinning around it as Surskit continued to skate.

"That was a great performance, but I would've liked to have seen a bit more from Swampert. Your appeal was beautiful, but it lacked balance because one of your pokémon was showed off better than the other," Mr. Contesta stated.

"It really was lovely. I used to love ice skating at Christmas time when I was a girl, so this appeal brought back some wonderful memories," Joy added.

"Remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo chimed again. May was beginning to wonder if he ever said anything else.

A few more random pairs went, including one pair whose theme was Christmas trees. The girls admitted that the appeal was lovely, and the Ponyta and Tepig did a great job, but they couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous outfits.

Dawn and Kenny were called up to the stage.

"Piplup, spotlight!" Dawn chimed.

"Empoleon, come on out and use mist!" Kenny called.

The two pokémon were soon concealed by a thick mist.

"Whirlpool, Piplup!"

A whirlpool rose up out of the mist, with Empoleon standing in the center.

"Oh my! What could they possibly do next?" Marian wondered aloud.

"Now use hydro pump!"

"Drill peck, Empoleon!" Kenny added.

Piplup launched a hydro pump at Empoleon, who spiraled down into it, using drill peck.

The audience was on the edge of their seats, wondering what had happened, but unable to see through the thick mist.

"Piplup!"

"Empoleon!"

"Use bubble beam!" Dawn and Kenny called in unison.

Bubbles shot out through the mist, flooding the surrounding area.

"And finish it off with flash cannon, Empoleon!" Kenny ordered.

Empoleon's flash cannon cleared away the mist and ruptured the bubbles, leaving shimmering sparkles to float down onto the two penguin pokémon.

"Fantastic! Your pokémon make a great team, and it was very interesting to see the first and final forms work together like that! Using mist to keep the suspense going until the end was a brilliant move!" Mr. Contesta cheered.

"That was a wonderful act! It grabbed my attention, and kept me guessing until the end! That was great teamwork!" Nurse Joy added.

"Remarkable!" ...that was really starting to get annoying, as far as Iris and Cilan were concerned. Was that all he ever said at these things?

After Dawn and Kenny was a pair dressed up as snow people. You'd think that they would've looked odd, but the two did it in such an elegant way. The boy was tall with black hair and silver eyes. He wore a tux that was entirely white, save for the black buttons and bow tie, and a black top hat. The girl was tall with platinum blonde hair and gray eyes. She wore a dress that was white with a black bust and black buttons, and a thin black scarf. Their appeal used the girl's Froslass and the boy's Honchkrow.

After them, Harley and Solidad were called.

"Time to shine, Banette!"

"Let's go, Slowbro! Use water gun, psychic, then ice beam!"

Slowbro let out a large stream of water, then used psychic to shape it and ice beam to freeze it in place. When it was done, Banette and Slowbro were surrounded by icy support pillars that held up a ring.

"Thunder, sweetheart!" Harley called.

Banette used thunder, lighting up the ice brilliantly, causing it to shimmer and sparkle.

"Now follow it up with will-o-wisp!"

The small blue flames surrounded the outside of the ice structure.

"Psychic once more, Slowbro!" called Solidad.

Slowbro used psychic on the spectral fire, making the flames spiral around the structure, blurring into a moving line as they floated up above the structure. When they reached the top, they joined into one large flame. The audience gasped in awe as they realized that the pokémon had formed a giant icy candle.

"What a brilliant display! They've made a sculpture for us!" Marian chimed.

"Fantastic! And so unique! Your pokémon have such great control!" Mr. Contesta complimented.

"That was simply stunning! I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it!" Nurse Joy gushed.

"Remarkable!" … Were you expecting anything different?

After a few more appeals, it was time for the last pair, Drew and May.

"Beautifly, take the stage!" May cried.

"Masquerain!" Drew called.

"Use string shot!" May ordered.

"Masquerain, bubble!"

Beautifly used string shot while spinning around in the air, causing the sticky string to form circles. Masquerain added bubbles to the fray.

"Now use psychic, Beautifly!"

Beautifly used psychic to manipulate the string and the bubbles. The string was warped so that it formed a long coil that was bigger at the bottom and got progressively smaller as it went up. Some of the bubbles were manipulated to line up along the string while others were left spiraling around the stage.

"Ice beam, Masquerain!"

Masquerain froze both the structure and the bubbles in the air.

"Beautifly, throw the bubbles up and use aerial ace!"

The butterfly pokémon threw the ice balls up in the air, releasing them from psychic, and use aerial ace to smash them into shimmering shards.

"Silver wind, Masquerain!"

The shining wind blew the ice shards, making them fall like snow.

"And finish it off with Morning Sun, Beautifly!" May shouted.

Beams of sunlight flooded down onto the structure from the glass ceiling. The light caught the ice shards, causing them to sparkle as they blew, and causing the structure, which the audience came to recognize was shaped just like a Christmas tree, to shine.

The audience and judges stared in awe.

Marian, for once, found herself stunned to silence.

"That was truly beautiful! A stunning display! You two make great rivals, but you make an even better team!"

"Both pokémon were in perfect unison with their trainers, and with each other! And their trainers were completely in synch with each other! That was positively flawless!"

"Extraordinary!"

The entire room gasped. Mr. Sukizo had said something other than "Remarkable!" That had never happened before.

When they got over the shock, Drew and May bowed and waved at the audience before leaving the stage.

Once they were out of view of the audience, May jumped straight into Drew's arms, squealing.

"We did it! That was awesome!" she cheered, arms wrapped around his neck.

When she pulled back enough for him to see her face, her azure eyes were positively shining and she was giving him a brilliant smile.

And in that second, Drew was so caught up in the excitement and joy that he did something without thinking. He kissed her.

The second he realized what he did, his eyes snapped open and he pulled back, face hot.

"S-sorry. I-I shouldn't have just- You can just slap me if you want. I totally deserve it," he stuttered.

May just stood, blinking, for a moment, her brain still trying to process what happened.

Drew got more and more nervous, staring at the floor and grimacing at his stupidity.

_'How could I be so stupid? I just ruined everything! She's never going to talk to me again after this, and we'll probably lose the contest now, because she'll be uncomfortable working with me. Not that it matters, since this whole thing was just to impress her, and-'_

Drew's thoughts were cut off when a pair of lips crushed themselves to his. It took him all of ten seconds to realize that May was kissing him, and all of fifteen seconds for him to return the favor.

Drew found his arms wrapping themselves around May's waist, lifting her up to stand on his feet, since she was having trouble due to the height difference. He soon felt one of her arms wrapping around his neck, and a hand running gently through his hair.

A few moments later, the two pulled apart, grinning like idiots.

May blushed, clearing her throat. "We should- uh go see who we're facing in the battle rounds."

"Y-yeah," Drew agreed.

And with that, they walked the rest of the way down the hall that lead to the underground rooms, hand in hand.

Dawn squealed upon seeing their hands, causing them both to blush and let go.

Drew cleared his throat. "Have they announced those who are moving on yet?" he asked.

"They're just about to now," Solidad answered.

All eyes turned to the screen, each contestant holding their breath.

They first picture to appear on the screen was one of May and Drew, who had come in first place in the appeal round. May squeaked in excitement, spinning to hug him. Drew just smirked and held her close for a moment. May quickly pulled back, though, wanting to know who their opponents were. Drew just left one arm wrapped around her waist as she stood next to him.

Neither of them noticed the scowls of Brendan and Brianna.

The second picture was Harley and Solidad. Harley jumped up and down, clapping, and Solidad smiled brightly.

The third picture was Dawn and Kenny. Dawn squealed, launching herself at Kenny, who lifted her up and spun around before sitting her back down.

Up next came a picture of the pair who had dressed like snow people.

Then came Brendan and Brianna, who were in too bad of a mood to celebrate.

After that came the first pair that had gone. The girl with the Delibird and the boy with the Stantler.

Then came the people who had dressed up like Christmas trees.

The group held their breath, waiting to see who the last pair was. Misty looked as though she were about to pass out, and Ash looked nervous.

Finally, the last picture showed up, and May and Dawn giggled while the others chuckled.

It was an old picture of Ash and Misty from when they were still traveling together. Ash was making a funny face at Misty, who was about ten seconds away from hitting him with her mallet.

Misty let out a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding. She smiled, turning to Ash who was grinning right back at her. The two grabbed each others' hands, squeezing. They may have come in eighth, but they still made it to the second round.

"_And__here's__the__line__up!__"_ chimed Marian as the pictures all began to scramble.

Dawn and Kenny were to be in the first battle against Mary and Joseph, May learned the names of the first pair.

_'Well...__that's__sort__of__ironic.__They're__dressed__up__as__Mary__and__Joseph,__too.'_May thought.

Harley and Solidad had the second battle against the human Christmas trees.

The third battle would pit Brendan and Brianna against the snowman and snow-girl.

And finally, that left May and Drew vs. Ash and Misty.

The four looked at each other.

"Misty, Ash, you'd better bring your A-games, because if you don't, Drew and I will mop the floor with you!" May taunted.

"Don't count us out yet, May!" Ash replied.

"Yeah! Contest battle or not, it's still a battle, and that's what Ash and I do best!" Misty added.

The first battle ended in a victory for Dawn and Kenny. Even Drew had been thoroughly impressed with their strategy. Dawn had ordered Buneary to use dizzy punch on Mary's Zangoose, confusing it so much that it turned and attacked Joseph's Voltorb, which had been paralyzed by Breloom's stun spore. Mary and Joseph had lost a lot of points for that, making it an easy victory.

Harley and Solidad had destroyed the tree people, losing practically none of their style points. May felt bad for the poor Lombre and Bellossom. The poor grass types didn't stand a chance against well trained pokémon like Ariados and Lapras.

Brianna and Brendan had struggled a bit. Their opponents had obviously trained long and hard, while Brianna and Brendan had only trained together for one night. The two had gotten a very lucky break and managed to win by just a few points.

It finally came down to the battle between May and Drew and Ash and Misty.

May and Drew had certainly been kept on their toes. May thought for sure they were finished when Pikachu's electro ball, hidden inside Corsola's bubble beam, had connected with Absol, but she remembered that they still had a few tricks up their sleeves.

Drew had ordered Absol to use water pulse when Pikachu used iron tail to send Corsola into a flying tackle. But May, thinking quickly, ordered Glaceon to use ice beam. The frozen water pulse had made a large wall of ice, with which Corsola collided. Both Absol and Glaceon then used iron tail to smash the ice wall, causing the pieces to fall on the pokémon. Glaceon had used dig, and Absol had followed her, so as to get to safety. Corsola and Pikachu had forced themselves to get back up, but time was already up, and Ash and Misty had lost two many points.

Harley and Solidad versed Dawn and Kenny next, and the battle went back and forth the entire time. It had been close, but Breloom had mach punched Lapras right into Buneary's dizzy punch, causing it to get confused, and accidentally hit Ariados with sheer cold, knocking it out. Harley and Solidad were sad that they lost, but were happy to have found not only new friends, but also new rivals.

It was now May and Drew's turn again, but this time against Brendan and Brianna.

The four called out their pokémon.

"Now let's begin!" Marian called.

"Vibrava, use screech!" Brianna ordered.

Absol and Glaceon cringed at the sound.

"Take down, Mightyena!" Brendan shouted.

Mightyena charged at Absol and Glaceon.

"Absol, flash!"

"Glaceon, dig!"

Mightyena soon found itself distracted by a bright light.

When everyone could see again, they found that the stage had holes all trough it, and Glaceon and Absol were no where to be found.

Vibrava circled in the air while Mightyena growled.

Brendan just smirked. "Odor sleuth, Mightyena!"

Drew muttered a curse under his breath. "Absol, jump out and use flash again!"

"Come out and use blizzard, Glaceon!"

The other pokémon soon found themselves unable to see from the light and the constant stream of snow.

"Dragon breath, Vibrava!"

"Back in the holes!" Drew ordered.

Once the attack was finished, the two jumped back up.

"Hyper beam, Mightyena!"

"Oh no you don't! Glaceon, ice shard!"

"Razor wind, Absol!"

The razor wind sent the ice shards hurtling through the air at vicious speeds.

"Ha! You missed!" Brendan taunted.

"Who said Mightyena was our target?" May asked, smug.

"Huh?" Brendan questioned, looking back at the stage in time to see the icy winds smash into Vibrava, causing it to drop and land right on Mightyena, causing it's hyper beam to miss completely.

And with that, the buzzer sounded.

"And the winners are... Drew and May!" Marian shouted.

May and Drew smirked, giving each other a high-five, then bowing and waving to the audience.

Brendan and Brianna both looked extremely angry and upset. They quickly returned their pokémon, leaving the stage.

"Up next we have Kenny and Dawn vs. Drew and May!"

Dawn and Kenny ran up on stage where Brendan and Brianna had been, releasing Buneary and Breloom.

"Let's begin!" called Marian.

"Buneary, dizzy punch!" Dawn cried.

"Not on my watch! Use razor wind to blow that bunny back, Absol!"

Buneary charged forward, ears glowing, but was knocked backwards by a harsh wind storm.

Kenny growled. "Energy ball, Breloom!"

"Ice shard, Glaceon!"

The green balls were met by the ice fragments half way to there destination. Both shattered on impact, making beautiful sparkles.

"Iron tail, Absol!"

"Bounce, Buneary!"

Buneary jumped high in the air, easily avoiding Absol's attack.

"Dig, Glaceon!"

Buneary came down hard where Glaceon would've been, but Glaceon was now underground.

Buneary looked around, trying to locate Glaceon.

"Now!" May called.

"Bounce once more, Buneary!" Dawn called.

But it was in vain, because Buneary wasn't the target. Glaceon smashed into Breloom.

"Mach punch, Breloom!"

"Back in the hole, Glaceon!"

But the punch had already connected, throwing Glaceon back.

"Absol! Catch Glaceon!"

Absol ran to where Glaceon was flying, causing the ice type to crash into it.

Glaceon and Absol both cringed, and Glaceon dropped to the ground. Absol began talking to it as though asking if it were alright. Glaceon let out a whimper, and Absol licked it's ear comfortingly.

"Glaceon, are you alright?" May asked.

Glaceon cried out its name, shakily standing up. It nodded at Absol, who nodded back, taking an offensive stance.

"Alright then, Glaceon, use Shadow Ball!"

"You know what to do, Absol!"

The dark purple orb came hurtling toward Buneary.

Dawn smirked. "You should've done your homework, May! A ghost type move like shadow ball has no effect on a normal type like Buneary."

"Oh, and that mistake will cost them!" Marian announced.

May just gave the most Drew-reminiscent smirk Dawn had ever seen. "You should've paid attention to the last battle, Dawn. When did I ever say that Buneary was the target?"

"Huh?" Dawn got a nervous, confused look.

Mere feet from Buneary, Absol jumped out of the hole.

"Iron tail!" Drew ordered.

And with that, Absol smashed the orb off course, launching it straight into Breloom.

"Breloom!" Kenny cried.

"Oh no!" Dawn shouted.

And with that, the buzzer sounded.

"And the victory goes to... Drew Hayden from LaRousse City and May Maple from Petalburg City!" Marian announced.

May jumped up, and Drew caught her, laughing.

Dawn and Kenny returned their pokémon to their balls, walking forward to shake hands with May and Drew.

"You guys were great," Dawn offered, smiling sadly.

"So were you guys," May responded. "You nearly had us with that mach punch."

Dawn and Kenny perked up a bit. "Yeah, we did do good, didn't we Dee-Dee? It's just that we've found some new rivals is all."

"Don't call me Dee-Dee!" Dawn screeched, smacking Kenny in the chest and causing the other three to laugh.

"We'll be looking forward to battling you two again," Drew finished.

With that, Dawn and Kenny left the stage, and Drew and May walked to the center to be presented with their prize.

"Now, as you all know, this wasn't an official contest, so it won't get the winners any closer to the Grand Festival. What they did win, however, is something quite interesting. Bring them out!" Marian called.

Two twin girls dressed in green dresses with bright red bows came out with two gold pillows.

On each of the pillows was a pokéball that was all white except for the red stripe in the middle.

"These pokéballs are called premier balls! They're used for special occasions! And this is a special occasion indeed! You see, the real prize is the pokémon inside! Why don't you show the crowd what's inside?" asked Marian, motioning to May and Drew, who carefully picked up the pokéball handed to them.

"Take the stage!" May called, throwing her ball in the air, while Drew followed suit.

Out of the balls came two nearly identical small blue and white dragons. The only way that they could be told apart was that May's had a small black star shaped mark next to it's left eye.

"That's right, ladies and gentlemen, these two adorable, yet powerful pokémon are today's prize! These two Dratini were donated to us by Clair, the gym leader of Blackthorn City in Johto and her cousin, Lance! They were raised just for this special occasion! And now, without further a due, let's make our way out of here and to the ballroom for the after party!" Marian explained.

The ballroom was buzzing with people. Some were dancing, some eating, and some chatting.

The room itself was beautiful, and wonderfully decorated.

The group split off into pairs as Dawn dragged Kenny to the dance floor, Harley pulled Solidad to the balcony to get some fresh air, and Ash dragged Misty toward the food. Iris and Cilan decided to head over toward the wall, where they had spotted some couches, to talk. May and Drew hadn't seen Brendan or Brianna since their battle.

"May! That was awesome!"

May turned around just in time for Max to latch himself onto her.

"Thanks, Max." May greeted, hugging her brother.

"You were cool too, Drew," Max added, pulling away.

"Thanks," Drew muttered.

"You were both amazing out there," Caroline added, hugging her daughter and her daughter's crush.

"Thanks, mom!" May chirped.

"T-thank you, Mrs. Maple," Drew stuttered, blushing a bit.

"Please, call me Caroline. I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future," Caroline told him, winking.

That really made him go red.

"You did great out there, Princess," Norman told his daughter, chest puffed out with pride.

"Thanks, daddy."

Caroline elbowed her husband in the gut.

"You- uh, weren't half bad yourself, Andrew," he muttered.

"Thank you, sir," Drew responded, biting his lip to hide the smirk that was forming.

"Come on, Drew, let's dance!" May grabbed his hand, leading him to the dance floor with her.

"I still don't like the boy," Norman muttered.

He and his wife had talked about Drew and May the night before. Norman had explained his concerns, and Caroline had explained her view.

"He makes your daughter happy. I'm sure you'll get over it before the wedding," Caroline added slyly.

Norman choked on his punch. "Wedding?" he demanded, voice strained.

Caroline giggled, smiling. "That boy is very much in love with your daughter. I'll be amazed it they make it to age twenty two before they tie the knot."

"Twenty two? There's no way I'm letting him near my little girl!" Norman shouted, earning him some funny looks.

"Oh, hush, Norman. Let the girl make her own decisions. Come on, I want to dance."

And with that, Caroline led her husband to the opposite side of the dance floor.

"So, what do you think of Saphira?" asked May as she and Drew slow danced.

Drew gave her a confused look. "You mean that Dragonair that Eragon rides in the Inheritance Series? What about her?"

May rolled her eyes. "The name, Drew. We obviously can't call both of them Dratini. They'd get confused. We're going to have to give them nicknames. And since mine is a girl, I thought Saphira would be a nice name."

Drew gave her a knowing look.

"...And I happen to love the Inheritance series," she admitted, causing Drew to smirk.

"Knew it," he teased.

"Oh, shut up! It's a great series! And the Dragon Pokémon Riders are way cool! Except for the evil ones, of course," May defended.

"I never said it wasn't a good series, just that I knew that was the real reason for the name. Anyway, I think it would be a good name for her. Mine's a guy though, so I was thinking Draco."

"As in character from Harry Potter?" she asked.

It was Drew's turn to roll his eyes. "As in the constellation."

May blushed. "Right. I knew that."

Drew chuckled. "Of course you did."

"Anyway... about what happened in the hall, are we-? I mean, does this mean we're... together?" May asked, a hopeful look on her face.

Drew flushed slightly. "I was kind of hoping that's what it meant."

May beamed at him. "Me too."

"So then, I guess that makes us boyfriend and girlfriend," Drew stated affirmatively, though the blush weakened the affect of his smirk.

May giggled, jumping up and latching her arms around his neck, kissing him swiftly.

"It's about time!" a voice chimed.

May and Drew blushed even redder upon noticing that all of their friends had witnessed the scene. Harley stood grinning like a mad man, obviously having been the one to ruin the moment.

"I'm so happy for you, May!" Dawn chimed, rushing forward to hug the brunette.

"Even I could see how much you two like each other," Ash teased.

May scowled at Ash before her eyes widened, and she got an evil glint in her eye. Smirking, she stepped forward and shoved Ash and Misty off of the dance floor and into a doorway.

"What was that for?" asked Misty. "I didn't even say anything!"

May just continued smirking, pointing upward.

Misty and Ash looked upward, equally confused. Their faces flushed when they noticed the mistletoe hanging above them.

"Ah! How did that get there?" asked Ash.

Misty, face hot, yanked Ash's shirt, spinning him toward her and kissing him.

When she pulled back, she quickly turned her head to hide her blush. Ash wasn't quite able to keep the goofy grin off his face and reached out, lacing their fingers together and squeezing gently.

Dawn and Kenny couldn't stop giggling.

"I wouldn't be laughing so hard if I were you," Drew taunted, smirking.

"Huh?" the both asked. They looked up, shocked, but found nothing there.

"What are you talking about?" asked Dawn.

"There's nothing there," Kenny added.

"Oh, isn't there?" asked Drew, still smug.

The two gave him funny looks, but looked up again, this time finding Masquerain floating above them with more mistletoe.

Both blushed, but kissed. It was short, but sweet, and they continued hugging afterward.

Harley seemed o have found the entire situation quite amusing, as he couldn't seem to stop laughing. "Oh man! They got you guys good!"

Drew and May both quirked an eyebrow at him, identical smirks on their faces.

That got him to stop laughing. "...Beautifly is right above my head with another sprig, isn't she?"

The two nodded.

Solidad gave him a quick peck on the lips, pulling back and smiling at him. Harley gave her a small, shy smile in return, wrapping one arm around her waist.

May nearly squealed in happiness. When she and Harley had first become friends, Harley had confessed to her that he had had a bit of a crush on Solidad ever since they were children. The two's parents were good friends, so they grew up spending summers together. May had thought is was extremely sweet, and had instantly started trying to figure out how to get them together, but the opportunity had not presented itself until just not.

"Awesome! Now we just have to get Iris and Cilan!" May cried excitedly, pumping her fist in the air.

"Or better yet, Brianna and Brendan. Then maybe they'd give up on us and move onto each other," Drew added, causing May to giggle.

"Best Christmas Eve ever!" Dawn cheered.

"Definitely!" May agreed, turning to beam at Drew, who smiled back.

The others couldn't help but agree.

_**Corny ending, yes, but I found it amusing. Anywhoo, for the record, I do not own Pokémon, Big Time Rush, "All I Want for Christmas is You," The Nightmare Before Christmas, "Kidnap the Sandy Claws", Harry Potter, or the Inheritance Series, which obviously isn't about dragon Pokémon, it's about dragons. Sorry that I threw that in there, it's just that I have Soul Silver, and the Dratini I got from Clair was a girl, so I named it Saphira, and I thought it would be funny if May had the same idea.**_

_**Anywhoo, that's my Christmas story. It took forever to right, so I hope you all like it.**_

_**Merry Christmas, everyone!**_


	2. Apology and Explanation

_**Okay, so I have gotten several complaints about how the italicized words are smashed together in this story, so I would just like to make it clear that I did not do this. Fanfiction, for some reason, did. I have made several attempts to fix this, and all of them have failed. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, but please understand that it isn't my fault. The italicized words on the document on my computer are not like that, and I am at a complete loss as to how they ended up that way on here. If anyone knows how to fix this, please send me a private message. I have even tried re-uploading the document and replacing the one that is one the story, and it hasn't worked. I really have no idea what is happening.**_

_**Thank you for all of your kind reviews, but might I ask for you to please refrain from commenting on this problem in the future? It is quite frustrating having it pointed out repeatedly when it wasn't my fault, and I can't do anything about it. I'm not upset with anyone for pointing it out, believe me, it's driving me just as crazy as all of you. I'm just asking that it not be brought up again, as it does nothing but fluster me.**_

_**For those of you who were having trouble reading them, here's what they say:**_

'Stupid hyperactive boy-crazy bluenette. What could she possibly want at... 6:30 in the freaking morning!' (May's thoughts)

'And when did I make Big Time Rush my ring tone? Ugh. It must have been Dawn. Oh well, I guess it's not really that bad.' (May's thoughts)

'Good. Now that that's over, I can go back to sleep.' (May's thoughts)

'Make that someone.' (May's thoughts)

'Childhood friends, huh? Right. That's why they never let go of each other. I'm so stupid. I should've known she already liked someone else.' (Drew's thoughts)

'Now what?' Drew thought, sighing. _'_I suppose there's still the contest. Maybe I'm wrong, and she really was just excited to see Brendan because she missed her friend. It doesn't seem likely, but... if there's even the slightest chance, I should take it. I'll tell May how I feel when this is all over, but first, to win that contest. If we won, then I could confess at the after party. So that's the plan, then. But for it to work the way I want it to, we have to win. So I guess we'll just have to bring our A-game tomorrow.'

'A thornless red rose. Love at first sight. If only May weren't so oblivious,' (Caroline's thoughts)

'Does she really like this Drew guy? What does he have that I don't? I've known May for longer! Does she just like him because he's a coordinator?' (Brendan's thoughts)

"Kidnap the Sandy Claws! Beat him with a stick! Lock him up for ninety years! See what makes him tick!" (Drew singing)

"Kidnap the Sandy Claws! Chop him into bits! Mr. Oogie Boogie is sure to get his kicks!" (Harley singing)

"Kidnap the Sandy Claws! See what we will see! Lock him in a cage and then throw away the key!" (Drew and Harley singing)

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I might please have your attention! It's time for the contest to begin!" (Marian on the screen)

'How could I be so stupid? I just ruined everything! She's never going to talk to me again after this, and we'll probably lose the contest now, because she'll be uncomfortable working with me. Not that it matters, since this whole thing was just to impress her, and-' (Drew's thoughts)

"And here's the line up!" (Marian on screen)

'Well... that's sort of ironic. They're dressed up as Mary and Joseph, too.' (May's thoughts)

_**I again apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you all for your time. I hope that I will be able to fix this problem at some point in time. If that happens, I will delete this, but until then, thank you for you patience.**_

_**~Hoshi**_


End file.
